New York State Will Not Permit Fracking

On December 17, 2014 Governor Cuomo, as well as DEC and DOH Commissioners, said no to fracking in the state of New York.

By Karen Edelstein, NY Program Coordinator, FracTracker Alliance

On Wednesday, December 17, 2014, at an end-of-the-year televised Cabinet Meeting in Albany, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, Health Commissioner Howard A. Zucker, and Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens informed New Yorkers about their decision not to allow high volume hydraulic fracturing in New York State “at this time.

Governor Cuomo instructed Commissioner Martens to complete the Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS) in early 2015, and after additional public comment, the law should go into effect. The New York State Health Commissioner’s report “A Public Health Review of High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing for Shale Gas Development” can be found here.

Watch the history-making statements from Cuomo, Martens, and Zucker in the video below. Cuomo’s comments start 15 seconds into the clip. At about 57:00, hear how FracTracker’s map of bans and moratoria in NY State played a part in cementing Marten’s decision.